Field Crrowns and Slopes
S
When deesigning a sp
ports field, onne of the moost importantt aspects to keep
k
in mindd is drainagee.
The mainn purpose off drainage is to minimizee the distancee water must travel befoore it begins rapid
removal from the surrface. If a field does nott drain well, the field willl not play well.
w
To helpp
d
it is
i important not to overccompact the sub-base, suubsoil, or toppsoil during any
a
internal drainage,
process of
o construction. Scarifyiing throughoout the proceess can elimiinate layerinng and too much
m
compactiion.
One wayy to achieve good
g
drainagge is by building a correct and consiistent grade. The sport being
b
played onn the field deetermines thhe type of croown and perrcent slope. The type of soil determiines
the heighht of the crow
wn. In a sanndy soil, the highest
h
poinnt on the fieldd should be about 12 incches
with a 1 to
t 1.5% slop
pe. In a clayy soil, the higghest point on
o the field should
s
be aroound 18 inchhes
with a 1 to
t 1.5% slop
pe.
There aree two types of
o crowns coommonly used in football, rugby, soccer, field hockey and
lacrosse. Some field
ds slope awayy from the center to draiin toward thee sidelines.
a slope to one side so they only drrain to that one
o side. Both of these field
f
Some fieelds are flat and
designs direct
d
water away
a
from the
t goal mouuth area.
A tennis court can slo
ope from sidde-to-side, ennd-to-end, or corner-to-ccorner. A teennis court
wned in the middle.
m
On a properly built grass suurface, the sloope can be as
a
should neever be crow
little as .225%. On a porous
p
surfaace, the slopee can be .25 - .4%, and .8 to 1% on a nonporous
surface.
Another type of crow
wn is called the
t turtle bacck. Be awarre that a turtlle back crow
wn works onlly for
football or
o rugby, beccause in adddition to draining to bothh sidelines, thhe field also drains to booth
endzoness. For a sporrt such as sooccer, this typpe of crown would causee water to drrain toward the
t
goal mouuths creating
g an unsatisfaactory and unsafe
u
playinng surface.
f a track annd field facillity is to sloppe the field surrounded
s
b the track
by
An effecttive design for
using thee above specifications, thhen slope thee track at 1%
% toward the infield. If this
t design iss
used, draainage must be
b installed around the inside of the track.
occe court, thhere should not
n be a crow
wn. Bocce courts
c
need to
t be flat andd
When deesigning a bo
level to provide
p
a straaight, true rooll of the balll.
he highest pooint is the pittcher’s mounnd, which iss 10 inches higher
h
than home
h
On basebball fields, th
plate. Thhe field slopees away from
m the moundd in all direcctions. Aparrt from the piitcher’s mouund,
the infielld is higher than
t
the rest of the field and has a .5%
% slope intoo the outfieldd. The outfieeld
then sloppes away at a 1 to 1.5% slope.
s
Althoough softballl fields do noot have mouunds, the infield
is still thee highest point and has a .5% slope into
i
the outffield. Like a baseball fieeld, the outfield
slopes aw
way at a 1 to 1.5% slope.
There are various ways to construct baseball and softball fields. The following depicts the
simplest and most common field design with the infield sloping at .5% and the outfield
consistently sloping 1 to 1.5% from the infield:
Another way to construct a baseball or softball field is to crown it from second base through the
outfield. The infield would continue to slope at .5% from the pitcher’s mound, but would then
slope at 1-1.5% from side-to-side in the outfield. The following shows this design in more
detail:
The best way to build a baseball or softball field is to maintain the .5% slope for the infield from
the pitcher’s mound and extend the crown to about one-third of the way to the outfield fence.
The outfield still maintains the 1 to 1.5% slope, but water will drain in all directions from the
center point of the field. The following shows this design in more detail:
For additional information on drainage systems, please visit the irrigation/drainage section of the
educational resources.
References: The information for this section was taken from the book Sports Fields: A Manual
for Design, Construction and Maintenance by Jim Pulhalla, Jeff Krans, and Mike Goatley.